@jonsmth
Actually in this case, it is completely noble like to kill him, since this would be seen as a power struggle for succession. Honorable? no... Noble like? It literally comes with the position, so yeah, it is noble like.
I agree that killing him would be a negative. But nothing world changing. To be fair, he actually is likely deserving a much harsher punishment than he is getting. His current list of grievances include:
- Breaking and entering (of property owned by someone of a superior rank, which makes it worse)
- Unintentional harassing/threatening someone of a superior rank (he didn't know his position yet)
- Intentionally harassing/threatening someone of a superior rank (after he knows he still tries to start shit)
- Inciting violence
- Inciting violence against a person of a superior rank (This one could even get him killed by execution. Since MC is working directly under the king, to the point that they are actually fairly close to each other, this can easily be taken as an act act of defiance of the King, in other words, treason)
- Attempted coercion of a noble (by threatening his own father/MC, who is a count/high ranking position holder. He isn't either yet, since he is only the stepson of a count)
Now if they wanted to, they could even tack on attempted assassination, or even working for the demons (though assassination may be a stretch, he does practically admit to wanting to off MC). And all of these claims are almost certainly going to be backed by his father if questioned. Though I do not think either would want him killed, it isn't entirely out of the cards if the ruling is made by others.
@Ace435
No, he isn't. Or maybe wasn't is now a better term since he somehow has become a "better" person. He knowingly let his own son be tortured, harassed, bullied out of the house, and even was almost killed by his step-sons, and did
NOTHING about it. By all accounts, MC should loath his father. But because this is an isekai (to an extent), MC doesn't quite take it all as personally as he should, since he only experienced the very tail end of it (sure he remembers it all though, but that is very different than living through it). Honestly they are heavily downplaying things.
Now as I have said, this is a power struggle scenario. However, there is a difference between fighting for succession, and just torture for the fun of it. MC has no intention to succeed the household, so the fact that they still went to such lengths no longer falls under being just a struggle for "right of succession". We all know 90% of all manga nobles are fucked up in terms of family bonding. But that still doesn't make a random appearance with some kind of half-assed apology a magical "fix-it-all" for all of the abuse.